A Stranger In My Home
by aj81writing NO LONGER IN USE
Summary: AU/AH. Elena Gilbert is in an abusive relationship. One day, her boyfriend's brother shows up on her doorstep. Can he bring her back to life?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

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_**Author's Note**__: Ok, so many months ago, I was inspired by TVD to write several short stories, but I never thought I'd be writing fanfiction again. So here is one of my stories, which I have now rewritten. It's a dark-ish AU/AH story and there is some abuse, so you've been warned. Stefan is _way_ out of character. Enjoy!_

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A STRANGER IN MY HOME

"Hey, Elena, come here for a bit," the broad-shouldered man on the living room couch called out.

"What is it?"Elena Gilbert came out of the kitchen with a quizzical look on her face.

"Sit down," he said and patted the seat next to him. She obeyed and her brown doe eyes fixated on his green ones. "We're going to have a house guest for a couple of days," he said.

"Who?" Elena knew better than to question why he had invited someone without checking with her first.

"My brother Damon. See, he just got out, and he needs a place to crash."

"What was he in for?" Elena asked carefully. It came as no surprise that Stefan's brother was an ex-con, even though Stefan had never mentioned even having a brother before.

"Never you mind," Stefan said, a warning tone in his voice.

"I'll set up the guest room," Elena said and rose from the couch. Stefan slapped her backside and leaned back in the couch, guzzling his third beer this morning.

* * *

Elena's mind wandered as she made up the bed in the guest room. Why was she still with Stefan? They had been high school sweethearts and when he had popped the question at graduation, she had been thrilled. The aunt who had raised her since her parents had died in a car crash was pleased to see her go. And Stefan Salvatore had been every mother-in-law's dream. Athletic, good-looking, smart. Yes, Stefan Salvatore was going places. And he was going to take Elena with him. And that was exactly what happened. Stefan took them all the way to the next county. He finished his first year of college with getting kicked out. It all went downhill from there. He was still good-looking, though. And he knew how to clean up nice for special occasions. Which is why no-one would ever expect him to be a drunk and a wife-beater (well, fiancé-beater, because years after asking her to marry him, he still hadn't made good on his promises). And so all Elena ever heard was how lucky she was to be engaged to such a charming young man. What hurt the most, though, were the incessant queries regarding whether there would be any children soon. Elena had been pregnant two times, but Stefan's beatings had effectively terminated both pregnancies. Now, the scar tissue on her uterus prevented her from conceiving. Stefan blamed her, of course.

"Elena!" the roaring from the living room broke into her thoughts and she hurried out of the guest room. "Someone is at the door!"

Elena went to open. Outside stood a slim, dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes and a smirk on his face.

"Yes?" Elena blinked, suddenly acutely aware that she was wearing a washed-out denim frock and that her long brown hair was messy. It didn't seem to matter to the stranger, though, because he looked at her as if she had just stepped out of the shower.

"I'm Damon. Stefan's brother."

"Damon!" Stefan's voice came from behind her, booming, as he came to the door and embraced the man in the doorway. "You'll have to excuse my girlfriend – she has no manners. Come in, come in," he said and ushered Damon inside, past Elena and into the living room. "Want a beer?" he offered and before Damon could answer, he called out, "Elena! Bring us a six-pack!"

* * *

The two brothers stayed up late, drinking and talking. Elena went to bed early, hoping she would fall asleep before Stefan decided to hit the sack. Her nerves wouldn't let her, though, and when the bedroom door opened, she lay as still as she could, hoping he would pass out before noticing she was even there. She wasn't so lucky.

* * *

When she heard Stefan's snoring, Elena carefully slipped out of bed and put on her bathrobe, pulling it tight around her slender body, and snuck out to the kitchen. She was just pouring herself a cup of tea when she heard footsteps approaching. She froze, afraid to breathe as it would expose her. She hadn't turned the lights on, she knew her kitchen well and the moonlight shining in through the window was enough for her to see clearly. But the hallway was dark, and out of the darkness now emerged a figure.

"I hope I didn't scare you," Damon's smooth voice said as he approached her. "Stefan said I should make myself at home, so I was just getting something to drink."

"No, it's fine. I couldn't sleep. I was just getting myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

"If it's no trouble," he replied.

"No trouble at all. Have a seat," she gestured towards the little table by the window. Elena felt oddly comfortable around this man. For some reason, she looked into his eyes. The moonlight reflected itself in them, making them look like – well, moonlight reflecting in a lake. She couldn't look away, mesmerized. A coughing sound snapped her back to reality. What if Stefan woke up and she wasn't there? Fear filled her body and obviously travelled to her eyes, because Damon looked at her with concern in his midnight-blue eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"What? Oh, yes, sorry. I just thought I heard… never mind. How was your tea?"

"Delicious."

"Oh, good," she said nervously.

"Go ahead and ask," he said calmly, with his eyes fixed on her.

"Ask what?"

"Why I was in jail."

"That's none of my business."

"But this is your house too, right? Don't you deserve to know who's sleeping in the room next to yours?"

"I don't even know the man sleeping next to me," she said under her breath. Then, realizing he might have heard her, said in a clear voice, shrugging, "Do you ever really know a person?"

"So this is where you ran off to," Stefan's voice came from the doorway. Elena rose immediately, putting away her cup and hurrying into his arms. He kissed her possessively, clearly making a point, then gestured for her to go back to bed. Without a second glance at Damon, she hurried off.

"Thank you for the tea, Elena," Damon called out after her.

Stefan fumed. "You're here for five minutes and you're making a play for my girlfriend?"

"I was not! But maybe I should."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"She deserves better than you, Stefan. I'm here for five minutes and I can see that. I'll just have to help her realize that herself."

"You stay the hell away from Elena, you hear me?" Stefan grabbed his brother's shirt and snarled. Damon shoved him away and straightened his shirt.

"I'm stronger than you. I wouldn't try that again."

"You are no longer welcome in my home."

"Too bad, because I'm staying. Good night, brother." Damon said and patted his shoulder before walking back to the guest room.

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_Would you like to see me continue this story? I know Stefan is completely out of character, but I'm thinking it's the drinking that changed him, much like the human blood changed Stefan in the show. Elena may also be out of character, but it's because the Petrova fire inside her has been put out by years of emotional and physical abuse. I'm hoping that Damon can bring that fire back, and maybe even turn Stefan around. If anyone would like to read more, let me know and I'll keep writing : ) _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

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_**Author's Note**__: This is for all the kind people who took the time to read and review and request a continuation of the story. Again, this is kind of dark, but I don't know if I should change the rating, because I don't really go into details. Let's just say this is T+. Please let me know if I should change the rating. Flashbacks in italics (I also use italics for emphasis). _

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A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-2-

Elena held her breath as Stefan returned to the bedroom. She doubted he would smack her around tonight, with his brother being in the next room and all, but she couldn't know for sure. She didn't know Damon, after all. Why would he interfere in his brother's life?

Stefan slipped his arm around Elena's waist. "So what did you and my brother talk about?" Stefan whispered in her ear, his voice soft yet dangerous.

"Nothing, really," Elena replied, only to feel his hand move down the curves of her body.

"Nothing, huh?" he growled and dug his fingers into her soft flesh. Elena almost cried out in pain, but stopped herself. It would only be worse if she screamed. "Do you like him?" he said hoarsely. "Do you think he's hot? Do you think he could be your knight-in-shining-armor? Guess again, princess. You think I'm bad? He's worse." Elena squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from streaming down her face as Stefan pressed himself against her.

* * *

"_Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I will marry you!" Elena beamed at Stefan, who was kneeling in front of her, his black cap and gown glistening in the sunlight. He smiled broadly back at her and scooped her up in his arms. "You won't regret it!" he promised as they laughed together in pure joy and excitement. _

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Elena woke up the next morning, sore and tired. Stefan was sleeping soundly next to her and she crept out of the bedroom to make breakfast. He would be furious if she overslept and didn't have his breakfast ready when he woke up. As she closed the door to their bedroom, however, a whiff of deliciousness reached her nostrils. She tiptoed to the kitchen to see what could possibly smell so good. She took a step back at the sight of Damon's muscular back and messy dark hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt, but she could see every muscle in his upper body.

"Good morning," he said, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

"Um… good morning. You know… you didn't have to make breakfast, I was just going to."

"Don't worry about it. I love cooking. Have a seat. I take it that Stefan doesn't bring you breakfast in bed too often?"

"Um…" Elena's first instinct was to tell him 'hell no', the second to tell him it was none of his business, the third, which she decided on, was a mumbled "I'm an early riser."

"What a coincidence, so am I," he smiled, setting down a cup of fresh ground coffee in front of her.

"Thank you," Elena said and sipped the hot drink. She needed it. "I'm sure Stefan will be happy to see you've cooked. I usually burn the toast and make weak coffee."

"I'm not cooking for Stefan," Damon said under his breath.

"Sorry?"

"Huh?" he looked at her innocently.

"I thought you said something… sorry, I guess I'm not awake yet." Elena shook her head.

"So when does Stefan get up for work?"

"Um… any minute now."

"What does he do?"

"He works at a taxidermist's office."

"What? As in, he stuffs animals?"

"Yeah. He hunts and then he helps make models out of the animals. They sell them to offices, schools, museums etc."

"So… Stefan makes a living out of killing bunnies and stuffing them?" Damon gawked, trying not to burst into laughter.

"Well, I'm not so sure he kills bunnies, but birds and squirrels and skunks and whatnot."

"Wow… I never thought I'd hear the word 'taxidermist' anywhere near my brother's name."

"You haven't kept in touch over the years, have you?" Elena asked, already knowing the answer to her question. The fact that she had been with Stefan for several years and never once heard him mention Damon spoke volumes about their relationship.

"No. I wish we had, though," he mused.

"Why?" Elena couldn't help asking.

"Because I would have met _you_ years ago."

Elena blinked. Did he just… was he _flirting_ with her? She didn't have time to wonder, though, as she heard the bedroom door open. She flinched, and Damon clearly noticed, because he eyed her suspiciously.

"Good morning, Stefan," Damon drawled, serving Elena a plate of bacon and eggs.

"You're still here?" Stefan seethed.

"Told you I'd stick around for awhile."

"How 'bout you come with me to work today?" he said to Damon.

Damon scoffed. "Yeah… I could think of about a _million_ better things to do with my time."

"You're not spending the day here alone with Elena."

"I'm meeting Caroline," Elena said quickly, earning herself a glare from Stefan. He didn't like it when she interrupted him. "She called yesterday, she'll be in town for a job interview today and I said we could meet up."

"You didn't tell me," Stefan said between clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

"It's ok, baby," he kissed her cheek. "I know how forgetful you are." He picked up a sandwich from the table. "I'll just take this to go."

Damon noticed how Elena visibly relaxed when the door closed behind Stefan. "So what are we doing today?" he asked.

"What?" she looked at him with confusion in her brown doe eyes.

"You're not _really_ meeting your friend, are you?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I… of course I am."

"No, you're not. You lied to him. You don't have any friends left, do you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You isolated yourself from all of your old friends when you met Stefan. You haven't made any _new_ friends, because he won't let you."

"I… you don't know what you're talking about," Elena said flustered and rose from the table.

Damon reached out and grabbed her arm. She yelped. He let go immediately, as if he had just burned himself, and stared at her. Then, slowly, he reached out and folded down her bathrobe to expose her shoulder and upper arm. Elena stood unmoving as his eyes locked on the bruises, old and new, on her body. "How long?" he said between clenched teeth.

"I don't know what you mean," Elena said, quickly pulling her bathrobe tight around her.

"For how long has my brother used you as a punching bag?" he said, his voice quivering with rage. How anyone would want to harm this beautiful, delicate woman was beyond him. How anyone would hurt a woman _period_ completely surpassed his comprehension.

"It… it's not like that," Elena said, fidgeting.

"I could tell after being here for five minutes that he wasn't treating you right, but I couldn't imagine he would hurt you physically. I guess I really don't know my brother." He shook his head in disbelief. "Why did you stay with him?"

"I… I love him."

"No. You probably did at one point, but you can't possibly love him now. You don't hurt the people you love. He doesn't deserve your love."

"Like you said – you don't know him. Where were you all these years?"

"You know where I was."

"Yes."

"One day I'll tell you why I was incarcerated, but today… you need to leave."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Really? Because it seems like all you do is take orders."

She slapped him. She hadn't intended to, and she didn't know why, but this sudden rage came over her. She reeled back when she realized what she had done. She had slapped Stefan once, too, early on in their relationship, when he had accused her of cheating on him with her old boyfriend, Matt. He put her in the hospital. Stefan had warned her that Damon was worse than him, and fear of what he might do to her paralyzed her. But Damon didn't look at her with hate or anger in his eyes. Instead, he carefully wrapped her in his arms. She stood frozen as he held her, gently stroking her hair.

* * *

"_I'm so sorry, Elena. It will never happen again. I'm just so crazy about you; I couldn't stand the thought of you with another man." Stefan pleaded with her as he sat by her hospital bed, gently stroking her hand, the room filled with red roses. "I'm sorry, too, Stefan," Elena got out, tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to slap you. I will never do that again." "I know you won't, baby. I love you so much. Nothing will ever come between us."_

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Elena finally got back her ability to move and she removed herself from Damon's embrace.

"Please let me take you away from here," Damon said.

"I don't need you to save me. I don't want to be saved."

"He really has you all screwed up, hasn't he? Let me help you. Did you honestly picture your life like this?"

"Who do you think you are? You come in here and you decide you're gonna fix my life? My life doesn't need fixing."

"Trust me, Elena, I've seen this before. I was too late once, I'm not making the same mistake twice. Not when I have the chance to make a difference."

Elena shook her head.

"Give me today," he said quickly, "let me show you how you _should_ be treated."

"Stefan will be home at five."

"Then I'll have you back here at 4.30."

"Ok," Elena said after some hesitation. What difference could a day make?


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

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_**Author's Note**__: This is for all the kind people who took the time to read and review and request a continuation of the story. AU/AH.  
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A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-3-

Elena emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of washed out jeans and a plain white T-shirt with a denim jacket. She had pulled her long hair up in a ponytail. Damon, who was wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt and a black leather jacket, was looking at her like she was wearing a prom dress. Elena suddenly felt nervous and looked down at the carpet. She noticed a stain and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"There's a stain on the carpet. I can't believe I missed it. I have to… excuse me…" she said and hurried towards the cleaning closet.

"Hey, it can wait," Damon called after her. He would have grabbed her arm, but he didn't want to hurt or scare her. Elena came back with a bottle of stain remover and a cloth and got on her knees to scrub the stain. "Elena…" he said softly, squatting down next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "you don't have to do that."

"No, I can't leave it like this… Stefan…"

"Hey," he said softly, "I'll take care of this when we get home, ok? Stefan will never know." He took her hands and pulled her up with him. "Let's go," he said and let go of her hands, heading towards the door. Elena glanced hesitantly at the carpet before she sighed and followed him.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they got onto the street outside.

"You'll see," he winked as he walked up to a blue Camaro parked on the street and held the passenger door open for her.

"This is yours?"

"No, I stole it when I got out of jail," he rolled his eyes.

Elena got in and he closed the door behind her. "When was the last time you went shopping?"

"No… no, I can't go shopping," Elena objected.

"Why not?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't have a lot of money. I don't work, so we're living on Stefan's wages."

Damon frowned. "Is that what he told you?"

"I don't understand…"

"Our family has a _lot _of money. You could be living in a mansion."

"No… no, that can't be right…"

"What do you know about our family?"

"I… I met Stefan when we were 17. He had just moved in with his uncle Zach and started going to my high school. He said his mother died of cancer a few years back and his father in a car crash just before he moved to Mystic Falls. I had just lost my parents in a car crash, too, and I was staying with my aunt, so we really connected."

"Our father didn't die in a car crash," Damon said blankly.

"He didn't?" Elena asked, wide-eyed. "What happened, then?"

"I killed him."

He said it so matter-of-factly that it took awhile for the words to register. When they did, Elena felt her body freeze in terror. "Wh- why?" she breathed.

"Did Stefan tell you about our sister?"

"Sister? I didn't even know he had a brother."

"Figures. Her name was Katherine."

"Was?"

"For as long as I can remember, our mother was sickly. The cancer was aggressive and she was confined to her bed most of the time. She could never stop him from disciplining me, but when she died, he lost all restraint. If we so much as looked at him the wrong way, we would get a beating. I never thought he would treat Katherine the way he treated Stefan and me. But one night he caught her smoking and he was livid. I heard them arguing at the top of the stairs and he slapped her across the face. She fell before I could get to her. She broke her neck in the fall."

Elena gasped, covering her mouth.

Damon continued the story, looking straight ahead. "I went into his study and got his gun. And I shot the bastard."

Elena's eyes widened in shock.

"I made a deal with the prosecutor for a reduced sentence. Then I came to see my brother and found him to be just like our father. That's why I have to help you, Elena. Or this will end in a bloodbath. One day he will snap and you'll be dead. I can't let that happen."

Elena was dumbstruck. She didn't know what to say. They rode in silence until they reached the mall. "Seriously, Damon, I can't go shopping…"

"_I'm_ shopping. You're getting gifts."

"No. No, I can't accept that. Stefan will be furious."

"Then we won't tell him. I'll keep the stuff in my trunk and when you decide to leave, you'll have a whole new wardrobe to start your new life with."

"Damon…"

"Please let me do this for you…"

Elena bit her lip. "Ok."

"Good. Come on, we have a _lot_ of shopping to do," he smiled and opened the car door for her.

* * *

"How's it going in there?" Damon asked after several minutes had passed since Elena entered the dressing room with a handful of dresses. He thought he heard a sob and put his hand on the door. "Are you decent? I'm coming in." He stepped inside to find her crying, standing in front of the mirror in a lavender sundress. "Hey," he said softly, "what's wrong?"

"I'm hideous," she sobbed.

"What kind of talk is that?"

"Look at me!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"I am. And you're beautiful."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's true. These…" his fingers travelled lightly over her bruises, "…will fade. He will never mark your body like that again."

"He wasn't always like this, you know…"

"I'm sure he wasn't."

"It's just when he drinks… he becomes this whole other person. But I know the real Stefan is still in there somewhere. I can't give up on him."

"You can't spend your life waiting around for him to man up."

"But I love him."

"I'm sure you do. But you're not actually helping him by sticking by him. He will never change if you accept him the way he is now."

"So I should leave him for his own good?"

"And for yourself. You deserve better, Elena."

"You don't know that."

"Yes… I do. Now, come on, wipe away your tears and start trying on clothes. I'll wait for you outside."

* * *

Damon stuffed several shopping bags in the trunk of his car. Elena shot a suspicious glance at a bag she didn't remember seeing before, but Damon closed the trunk before she could poke around.

"Where are we going now?" she asked, intrigued."

"You'll see," he smiled.

Elena glanced at the bag seat. "What's in the basked?" It looked like a picnic basket, but she couldn't be sure.

"Nosy, aren't we?" Damon winked.

They pulled up to a house by a lake. Elena looked around, wide-eyed. "Where are we?"

"At my lake house," Damon said simply and held the door open for her.

"_Your_ house?"

"Told you I was loaded," he smirked. "Come on, let's go inside and change," he said, grabbing the bags and the basket.

"Change? Into what?"

"We're going swimming," he said and handed her the mystery bag. "The sales lady told me your size," he explained when she pulled out a black bikini from the bag.

"I'm not wearing this," she shook her head.

"Sure you are. You have _nothing_ to be ashamed of."

After having laid out the picnic on a blanket on the sand, Damon waited for Elena to come out. When she did, she was wrapped in an oversized beach towel. She sat down beside him, making sure the towel covered as much of her body as possible. There was no point in hiding her arms and her back, as he had already seen the bruises there.

"It's a beautiful day and the water's warm. Don't tell me you're gonna stay up here all day."

Elena looked out over the water longingly. "I _would_ like to go swimming, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't want you to see me in a bikini," she mumbled and looked down at her feet, her toes digging holes in the sand.

"You have other bruises, don't you," he said in a low voice. Elena nodded. "Hey, like I said, _you _have nothing to be ashamed of. _He's_ the one who should be ashamed." Tears were starting to stream down her face and Damon gently wiped them away. "Show me," he said calmly.

Elena took a deep breath, stood up, closed her eyes and let the towel drop. Damon fumed at the sight. The bruises on her hop and thighs looked recent. "When did this happen?" he asked quietly. When she didn't answer, he stood up and cradled her face. "Elena, open those beautiful eyes and look at me," he pleaded. When she did, he saw the shame in her eyes. "When did he do this?"

"Last night," she choked out.

He let go of her, averting his eyes. "I was in the next room," he said silently, blaming himself he didn't stop what was being done to her. He had heard sounds, but he didn't think… "Why?" he asked suddenly, turning to look at her again.

It was Elena's turn to avert her eyes.

"Why did he do this last night?" Damon asked again, anxious to get his suspicions confirmed.

"He was jealous."

Damon felt as if he had just been punched in the gut. It was _his_ fault, _he_ riled Stefan up. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice a broken whisper.

"It doesn't matter, Damon," she choked out.

"Of course it matters," he said, "if I had known what he was going to do to you – what he has _been _doing to you – I would have knocked him out cold."

"You're just like him," Elena breathed, her eyes wide in fear.

"What? No."

"You think violence is the solution to any problem."

"I would _never_ hurt a woman," he said between clenched teeth.

"Don't be so sure. Stefan didn't think so, either, before he met me. I'm… difficult."

"Elena, no. That's a lie, those are _his_ excuses."

"Give it time," she mumbled.

"Ok."

"What?"

"I said ok. Give me time, I'll prove you wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"You say you're difficult to live with. So come live with me – here," he gestured to the house behind them.

"Damon… no. I can't just leave Stefan."

"Do you really want to go back there?" Elena shuddered at the thought. "I think you just answered the question," he noted.

"He'll be furious."

"I won't let him near you. I promise – you're safe with me."

"But…"

"Let me show you the kind of life you could have – the kind of life you deserve. And if you still feel the same way about Stefan, then I won't stop you from going back to him. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for him. Maybe he'll realize that he can't treat you like dirt and expect you to love him. Or maybe he won't. But at least then it will be up to you. Will you trust me?"

"I do trust you. I don't know why, but I do. I'll stay."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

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_**Author's Note**__: I'm so sorry about the delay and the shortness of this chapter, I usually update my stories at least every other day, but I'm suffering from writer's block and the words just won't flow onto the page as they usually do. For those of you reading this that are waiting on an update of "Driven", the same thing applies to that story. I'm working on a chapter titled "Love", but the characters aren't cooperating… I hope to be able to update soon. _

_Flashbacks in italics (I also use italics for emphasis – and obviously normal letters for emphasis in flashbacks…). Enjoy._

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A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-4-

"So… ready to go for a swim?" Damon said to Elena, whose tears had dried. He watched as a sparkle appeared in her eyes, a smiled brushed her lips and as her body tensed, not out of fear, but out of excitement.

"Last one in the water is a…" she blurted out and took off running towards the lake.

Damon stood unmoving for a split second before he realized she was letting herself have some fun. He gave chase, catching her just as she was about to dive off the jetty and falling into the water with her. In retrospect, that might not have been the best idea, he though, a chill going through him. He shouldn't be putting his hands on her, and definitely not try to restrain her. He had no idea what kind of reaction that would get from her. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he heard her bubbly laugh. It was like music to his ears. Sweet, melodious music he could listen to for hours.

"I think it was a tie," Elena said, splashing him with water.

"No… I definitely won. I always win. What's my price?" he smirked, splashing her right back.

"You're not getting a prize, because you didn't win," Elena teased.

"I beg to differ," he said and, moving gracefully in the water, he was right in front of her, their bodies inches away from touching. Then, as quickly as he had approached her, he was swimming away again, taking long strokes. "Last one to cross the lake is cooking dinner," his shout echoed across the lake.

* * *

Damon was waiting for her on the beach when Elena reached the other side. "I guess you lose," Elena said, stepping out of the water.

"Now, how do you figure _that_?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Last one to cross cooks dinner, right? I'm a terrible cook."

"Oh, come on, it can't be _that _bad."

"You'd be surprised."

"Then I'll teach you."

* * *

"So what are we making?" Elena said as Damon handed her an apron.

"Spaghetti and meatballs. Easiest thing ever."

"Not if you can't cook."

"Oh, lose the defeatist attitude – there's no 'can't' in cooking."

"Nor 'can'," Elena pointed out.

"Sure there is – a lot of good stuff comes in cans. But tonight, we're doing this from scratch."

"You know how to make pasta?"

"Yeah, I do. But I say we go for the store bought tonight, and just focus on the meatballs. First, you take a bowl, crack an egg or two in there. Then we add some salt and breadcrumbs. Good. Now, we put the minced meat in there, and – wash your hands again – now start mushing."

"Mushing?"

"Yeah, just get your hands all sticky and form little round balls from the meat."

"That's it?" Elena asked as she went to the sink to wash her hands.

"Told you it was easy. Of course, you could put onion or garlic in the mix, too, but then we get stuck with onion breath."

"Yeah, Stefan doesn't want me eating garlic, either," Elena mused as she stuck her hands in the bowl. Damon quickly pressed two cloves of garlic and added it to the bowl, earning himself a grateful smile from Elena.

* * *

"This is amazing," Elena let out a small moan as the flavors met her palate.

Damon smirked, but bit his tongue. This was not the time for lewd comments. Instead, he said, "And you said you couldn't cook…"

"You're the one who made the sauce, which completely makes the meal."

"Not that I don't enjoy the stroking of my ego immensely, but you should give yourself more credit, Elena. You're a quick study. I can't believe S…" he stopped himself.

Elena urged him on, "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"No, you were about to say something, what was it?" she insisted.

"I can't believe Stefan never tried teaching you how to cook, was what I was going to say."

"He did," Elena said somberly, the memories rushing over her.

* * *

"_I'm sorry, Stefan. I don't know why the bread turned out so bad - I did everything according to the recipe."_

"Everything?_ Including getting the temperature for the liquid right? If it's too hot, the yeast doesn't work."_

"_Well, how__ do I know if it's too hot?"_

"_If it feels like this," Stefan said, grabbing her hand roughly and sticking it under the tap, turning the faucet to spray hot water. Elena screamed as the scalding water hit her hand. "Got it?" he hissed in her ear and didn't release her until she nodded 'yes' profusely. Elena tried to turn down the heat and cool off her hand, but Stefan pulled her away from the sink. "It will be a good reminder for you."_

_

* * *

_

"Elena…" Damon took her hand in his over the table. "He won't ever hurt you again. I promise."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she said and twirled her fork in the spaghetti.

"I never do."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

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_

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-5-

"What are you doing?" Damon asked as Elena rose from the table, picking up their plates.

"What does it look like? I'm clearing the table."

"No, no, no. I'll take care of the dishes. You just… sit and relax."

"I can't _not_ help," Elena objected.

"Sure you can," Damon said jauntily.

"Damon…"

"Listen, you cooked, you shouldn't have to do the dishes."

"You're spoiling me."

"No. I said I would show you how you ought to be treated, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"It's fake."

"What makes you say that?"

"You act like Stefan was always a jerk to me. He wasn't. He was sweet, kind, attentive, respectful, he cooked and did the dishes. Until I told him I'd marry him. Once he was certain I wouldn't run away, none of those things mattered anymore."

"So you think this is an act?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Fine. You want to do dishes, go right ahead."

"Ok then," Elena nodded and cleared the table. She put the plates in the sink and turned the faucet.

"Ahem," Damon cleared his throat, suddenly standing right beside her. Elena jumped in fright. "You could of course use the dishwasher…" he said, opening one of the cabinet doors and revealing a built-in dishwasher. Elena sighed and Damon chuckled.

* * *

"Can I get you a refill?" Damon asked, holding out the wine bottle.

"No. Thank you," Elena replied, setting down her glass on the living room table. She watched with apprehension as Damon refilled his own glass. He noticed her eyes on him as he raised the glass to his lips. Elena realized that he had seen her looking at him and quickly averted her eyes.

"It's only wine," Damon said tentatively.

"Yeah… of course… I'm sorry…" Elena mumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

Damon gave her a second glance and strode into the kitchen. Elena followed him with her eyes and watched him pour out the contents of his glass and the bottle. Instead, he got out a bottle of water from the fridge and two glasses. "I'm _not _Stefan," he said as he handed her a glass of water.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I don't have the right to tell you what to do…"

"Sure you have. I want you to be comfortable around me, Elena. If that means not having a second glass of wine, or even a first glass of wine, then I'm fine with it. I don't need alcohol in my life."

"What _do_ you need?" Elena asked carefully.

Damon thought about it for a moment before answering, "Love. Doesn't everyone?"

"Did you ever… I mean… have you ever…"

"Been in love? Sure. But it never lasted long. It's not romantic love that I'm talking about, though. It's the kind of love that changes you, that makes you want to be a better person, the kind of love that doesn't fade with age, because it's rooted in friendship. And _that_ kind of love I've never known."

"Me neither," Elena sighed.

"You will," Damon said reassuringly.

"You don't know that."

"I have a good feeling about you," Damon said, smirking.

"Don't do that," Elena said sadly.

"Do what?" Damon raised his eyebrows and shoulders to signal confusion as to what she was referring to.

"Don't look at me like…"

"Like what?" he sat down on the couch next to her, his body turned to face her.

"Like I'm not your brother's girlfriend."

"If I had anything to say about that, you wouldn't be." Damon said in a low voice and got off the couch, pacing around the room.

"Damon…" Elena started, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of the clock on the wall. 5 pm. She felt her pulse quickening, her breath falling short and her head spinning.

"Elena!" Damon exclaimed, rushing to her side, as he noticed her distress. "What's wrong?"

"He… It's five o'clock… he'll be home now. He'll kill me." Elena's eyes widened in fear, her voice shaky.

"Elena, Elena… Look at me," Damon cupped her face. "You're safe. He can't hurt you."

"No. No, I have to go home. I can still go back. I can beg him to forgive me. I can…"

"No. You're not going back there." Damon put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"He'll come after me. He'll come after _you_."

"I can handle my brother. You don't need to worry about him anymore," Damon said softly, gently wiping her tears away. Elena leaned into him, letting herself be comforted. She sobbed against his chest as Damon stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"What for?"

"That I'm such a mess."

"It's not your fault, Elena," he said, his jaw clenched.

"I wasn't always like this, you know," she sobbed, pulling away.

"Tell me," he said softly. "What were you like before Stefan?"

Elena curled up on the couch, a blanket over her legs. "Before my parents died, I was a cheerleader," Elena smiled at the memory. "Caroline, Bonnie and I – we were best friends – were all on the Mystic Falls Cheer squad. I was going out with the quarterback, Matt. He had this blonde hair and baby-blue eyes. The all-American corn-fed stereotypical boy. We had been friends since we were born. My mom and Matt's mom were best friends. I was… gosh, it feels like a lifetime ago… I was happy. I didn't have a care in the world. My biggest concern was deciding what to wear to the school dances or the town picnics, and not getting caught drinking with my friends. We were the popular kids. I don't think we were mean, but we definitely kept to our own group of friends. Oh, this must sound so silly to you…"

"No, not at all."

"I'm sorry, but I'm so tired… I know it's only five thirty, but… would you mind if I went to bed?"

"No, of course not. You've had a stressful day. Come on, I'll show you to the guest room." Damon got off the couch and reached out his hand. Hesitantly, Elena took it and let him pull her to her feet.

"I hope this is ok. I haven't been here since… well, it's been a long time," Damon said as he opened the door to the guest room.

If Elena would have tried to describe the color scheme in terms of flowers, she would have said calla lilies. Soft greens and milky white made for a soothing feel to the room. "It's… gorgeous," Elena breathed.

"Katherine decorated it," he said somberly, "she always had good taste."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Elena said sincerely, touching his arm.

"Thank you. Um… so I hope you'll be comfortable here."

"I'm sure I will. Damon… if you don't mind me asking… how come you came to stay at _our_ house when you had this house?"

"I wanted to see my brother. And… Stefan doesn't know about this house. Our mother left it to Katherine in her will, in a private letter. She didn't want us to feel slighted. Then, when Katherine… she left it to me."

"This place holds a lot of memories for you, then?"

"I suppose it does. But I'd like to make _new_ memories."

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena said softly and closed the door behind her.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night that Damon awoke to the sound of Elena screaming. He rushed to her bedroom and flung the door open. She was having a nightmare and turning and tossing violently in the bed. "NO!" she cried, a bloodcurdling scream.

Damon sat down on the bed, grabbing her shoulders. "Elena! Wake up!"

Elena's eyes flew open. Her heart was still racing and she was breathing heavily. "Wha- what's going on?"

"You were having a nightmare," Damon explained in a calming voice, "you were screaming."

"I was? Did I wake you? I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm more worried about _you_."

"Don't be. It was… just a dream."

"Are you sure?"

"I… um… it was a memory. I don't want to talk about it."

"Ok. I'll just sit here until you fall asleep, ok?"

"You don't have to do that."

"I don't mind."

"You sure?"

"There's no place I'd rather be."

With that confirmation, Elena relaxed against the pillows and let sleep overtake her once more, suddenly feeling more at ease than she had in years.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_

* * *

_

_**Author's Note**__: Sorry for the delay and the shortness of this chapter. I'm having terrible writer's block with this and with my other story "Driven". If anyone has any thoughts on what you'd like to see in "Driven", please send me a message – maybe I'll find my inspiration again… Enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-6-

* * *

Elena came back to the world slowly, shielding her eyes from the rays of morning sun that trickled through the drapes. Her eyes fell on the figure slumped in the armchair on the other side of the room and shot out of bed. Her movement woke Damon and he looked at her, confused. It took awhile for Elena's mind to register where she was and what Damon was doing in her bedroom.

"Did you sleep ok?" he asked, yawning.

"Um… I think so."

"Good. Why don't you take a shower and I'll get breakfast ready."

"You don't have to do that."

"Sure I do. See you soon."

The room had an en suite bathroom and when Damon left, Elena went in. She emerged minutes later, feeling refreshed and surprisingly good. She couldn't remember the last time she was actually happy to see another day beginning. The smell of coffee and toast drew her downstairs. She found Damon in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

"Smells good," she smiled.

"You're just on time," he smiled back at her and nodded towards the table, indicating that he wanted her to take a seat.

"You sure I can't help?" she offered.

"I've got it covered. Just sit back and relax. You're on vacation."

"Is that what this is? A vacation? Vacations always come to an end, Damon. Then you go back to reality."

"I promised I'd show you how you _should_ be treated. I won't let you go back to Stefan if I can help it, but at some point you _will_ have to rebuild your life. I can't… no, I _won't_… coddle you. You have to learn to stand up for yourself, to make your own decisions."

"You're saying you don't want me in your life," Elena concluded disappointed.

"No. I'm saying that I want you to live your own life. And whoever you choose to spend that life with – if anyone – should want the same thing for you." Elena nodded, looking down at her plate of scrambled eggs. As Damon poured her a cup of coffee, he said softly, without looking at her, "Just for the record… I hope to be that someone." Elena's head shot up, but he was already turning away.

As they were finishing breakfast, Damon's cell phone buzzed. After a quick glance at the display, he ignored the call. "Wait – where's my phone?" Elena suddenly realized.

"It's in your purse, I guess." Damon shrugged.

Elena went to grab her purse off the floor in the hallway and dug out her cell phone. 50 missed calls! She noticed the sound was off and it wasn't on vibrate, either. "Damon, did you do something to my phone?" she said accusingly as she went back into the kitchen.

He shrugged. "You needed a break."

"Stefan's been calling and calling – he must be worried sick about me. What if he called the police?" Elena started panicking, imagining all sorts of scenarios. What if he told the cops his ex-con brother kidnapped his girlfriend? They could be having a search party out looking for them by now.

"Elena, relax. He's not gonna call the cops. That would raise questions he doesn't want to answer."

"I'm just gonna check my voicemail," Elena said.

"Elena, I don't think that's such a good idea…"

_5 pm. Elena, where the hell are you? Where's my dinner? You get back here in the next five minutes or you'll be sorry._ Beep.

_5:05 pm. Ok, your five minutes are up. I'm calling Caroline._ Beep.

_5:10 pm. You lying piece of trash! Caroline told me you haven't talked in months and she's not even in town._ Beep.

_5:__15 pm. You're with Damon, aren't you? You worthless slut! How could you do this to me? To us? _Beep.

_5:__20 pm. You think he's better than me, huh? He just wants you for one thing. It's all you're good for. _Beep.

_5:25 pm. I'm going to find you and I'll make you pay, you lying, cheating, piece of…_

"Elena, stop," Damon said, gently prying the cell phone from her grasp. The pained expression on her face and the tears streaming down her cheeks told him she'd heard enough. The way his brother's voice travelled he had heard enough, too. "You don't need to listen to this."

Elena shook her head. "He's right. I am worthless. I can't believe I just took off. I knew how it would look and I let you convince me to go with you."

"Hey, listen, listen," Damon said, wrapping his arms around her shaking form. "He is _not_ right. He can't handle not being in control, so he's lashing out."

Elena detached herself from Damon. "I can't stay here."

"What? Why?"

"This is wrong. I shouldn't have come with you."

"Elena, you're not making any sense."

"He loves me. He's upset because I left. I betrayed his trust."

"Elena. Listen to me. Please. You can't go back there. There's no telling what he might do to you."

"I don't care."

"What?"

"You heard me. I deserve whatever I get."

"No! You deserve so much more."

"What do you care? You keep saying you want to show me how I should be treated, but you have no intention of treating me like that in the future. It's cruel. At least with Stefan, I know what's coming to me. Don't you see – it's torture! You'll do all these nice things for me, and once I'm accustomed to them, you'll take them away."

"That's not what I'm doing!"

"Like hell it is. You said so yourself!"

"That's not all I said…"

"I know…" Elena sighed, calming down. "I'm sorry, I'm all over the place…"

"It's fine. I can deal with the drama. But promise me… you won't go back to Stefan."

"I can't promise that."

"Ugh," Damon exclaimed, slamming his hand against the wall. Elena jumped in fright, her eyes wide. "No! No, Elena wait," he pleaded as she ran upstairs. He probably shouldn't follow her, but he felt the need to explain, to reassure her he wasn't like his brother. He found her in the guest room, gathering her things. "Elena, please listen to me. I didn't mean to upset you. I would _never_ hurt you."

"I told you I was infuriating. I told you I was difficult to live with. It hasn't even been a whole day and you're taking your aggression out on the furniture."

"I'm sorry."

"They always say that."

"I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with my brother for messing you up."

"And if he were here right now, you'd pummel him, right?"

"Yes."

"That just proves my point."

"It's not the same."

"Yes. It is. You see violence as a solution to a problem. You will always turn to violence to resolve issues."

"Not my issues with you."

"No, just everyone else. Is that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that you won't hurt me, but you have no problem hurting others?"

"Let me ask you something. Have you ever felt comfortable speaking to Stefan like you just did to me? Have you told him how you feel about _his_ approach to violence?"

"No."

"See – you're stronger already. The longer you stay away from his influence, you will grow stronger. Then, if you ever see him again, he won't have any control over you."

After a moment's pause, Elena nodded. "Ok. I'll stay a little longer. But I need to talk to Stefan."

"Elena, why put yourself through that right now?"

"You want me to be strong? Then I have to tell him I'm not coming back. I'm not gonna let him worry about me. Avoiding him isn't going to accomplish anything. It's just putting off the inevitable. Please give me back my phone." Damon sighed but went downstairs and got Elena's phone. "Thank you."

"I'll give you some privacy," he mumbled and went back downstairs.

Elena took a deep breath and dialed. "Stefan? ... I'm sorry … No, please listen … Stefan… I'm not! ... No! ... I'm not coming back until you get your life in order … No, it's not about Damon! … I'm not doing this with you anymore. Don't call me. Don't look for me. I don't want to see you. Goodbye, Stefan."

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: So, I'd like your opinion on something… I'm thinking of doing a flash forward a couple of weeks into the future, just so I can speed things along. Of course I'll recap what happened during the missing time span. Let me know : )_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Thank you for your reviews and your input. I've decided to do a little flash-forward, after all, so this chapter will start off with a recap – diary entry style. Enjoy!_

* * *

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-7-

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I haven't kept a diary in years, so you'll forgive me if I'm a bit rusty. Damon bought you for me yesterday. I told him I used to dream about being a writer, and he came home with a stack of notepads, pens and pencils, and you. _

_It's been two weeks since I broke up with Stefan. Over the phone. I regretted it immediately after I hung up. But I resisted the urge to call him again. It's just that I've had a hard time picturing a life without Stefan. He's been my whole world for years. In these past few weeks, I've come to realize that I lost myself with him. I didn't know who I was anymore. I'm still not sure who I am, but I feel like I'm getting there. _

_Damon… Damon's been great. We've become really close friends. He's listened to me crying about Stefan, about my life, about… well, just about everything. And he's never once judged me. He just tells me to focus on the now, and to let go of the past, not letting it define who I am. He insists I will be stronger for everything I've gone through, and that I can do anything I want. _

_I was uneasy around him when I first broke up with Stefan. Both because of how he reacted when I said I was going back home, and because of what Stefan said. But Damon's been nothing but gentle with me. Not that he's walking on eggshells around me. He's not afraid to get into an argument with me, but he doesn't scare me. I don't jump in fright when he raises his voice at me. Not that it happens too often, just when I start questioning myself. He's fiercely protective of me, but not possessively like Stefan was. He wants me to be independent. A part of me wishes that he… no, I shouldn't say that. I don't want him to change. _

_I wish I could stay here with Damon forever, but he's right… I have to start living my life. My new life starts today. I'm starting a night class on English literature. And I got a job. Well, Damon got me a job. His friend Alaric has a small law firm and he's agreed to take me on as a secretary. I have to admit I'm really nervous about being out in society again. We've gotten into such a comfortable routine here, in our own little slice of paradise. But Damon worries I've been too isolated. He insists I get back to the real world as soon as possible. _

_I haven't heard from Stefan since we broke up. I guess he finally listened to me. Either that or he did something really stupid. I just hope he will get the help he needs. _

"Elena! Are you ready to go?" Damon called out from downstairs, causing Elena to hurriedly put her diary away and gather her things.

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Damon asked as they pulled up in front of the little office building. At least they weren't going into the city, Elena noted, relieved. "Don't be. Ric's a good guy."

Elena nodded, taking a deep breath before she stepped out of the car. Damon placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, ushering her inside.

The two men greeted each other with hugs. "Good to see you, man," Alaric said.

"Likewise. If it weren't for you I'd probably still be stuck behind bars."

"As opposed to _in_ them," Alaric joked.

"Um… yeah… so… this is Elena, who I was telling you about," he said, changing the subject.

Alaric bit his tongue. Damon had filled him in on Elena's situation. Drinking was _not_ an appropriate topic of discussion. He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Elena. I'm Alaric Saltzman, but you can call me Ric."

"Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Saltzman… I mean Ric. I don't have any work experience, but I'm a quick study."

"I'm sure you'll do great," he said reassuringly. "My wife will be in later today, and she will go over your job description and show you how to work the software and the coffee maker and, well, whatever else there is to know. We're expecting our first child, so this was actually perfect timing. I was going to start looking for someone to replace Jenna as my secretary when I heard from Damon."

"I always had impeccable timing," Damon smirked. Turning to Elena, he said "I'll be back to pick you up at four o'clock. Ok?"

Elena nodded. "Ok." She felt her body tense as Damon left her with Alaric. It was like her safety blanket had been ripped right out of her grasp, and she was facing the world naked. In the past two weeks, they hadn't been apart for more than a couple of hours at a time, and when they were asleep. Even if he wasn't always next to her, Elena felt safe knowing he was close by. Now… she was alone. It frightened her beyond comprehension. How had she become so dependent on him?

"You ok?" Alaric asked, giving her a scrutinizing look.

"Um… yeah… sorry… you were saying?"

"I can start you on the phones… I don't get too many calls, and it's not a complicated system. Then you can do your nails or something until Jenna gets here. She pretty much runs this place. I don't know half of the things she does," Alaric chuckled.

Elena smiled. Damon was right about Ric. He was a nice man.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," a strawberry blonde came busting through the door around lunch time. She was carrying three pizza boxes and a plastic bag with soda cans. "Hi!" Her face lit up when she saw Elena behind the desk. "I'm Jenna. I should have been here much sooner, but… morning sickness… I'm so happy you're gonna be working here!"

Elena returned the smile, instinctively warming up to the bubbly blonde. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Elena," she introduced herself, extending a hand in greeting. Jenna ignored the outstretched hand and wrapped Elena up in a warm hug.

"Yeah… probably should have warned you," Alaric voice drawled from behind them, "she's a hugger."

"Shut up," Jenna scoffed at her husband.

"I see you cooked, honey," he quipped.

"Keep it up and you can buy a burger across the street, sweetheart," Jenna shot back. "He knew what he was getting himself into when he married me," she said to Elena, "so the joke's on him."

Elena smiled at the easygoing relationship Alaric seemed to have with his wife. Maybe one day she'd find that too…

* * *

"How was work?" Damon asked as Elena got into his car.

"It was great, actually. You were right about Ric. And Jenna's great."

"Yeah, they are. So… you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Good. I made dinner."

"You spoil me, you know."

"I know. I'm mean like that."

* * *

After they had finished dinner and Elena was loading the dishwasher, Damon suggested they take their coffee in the living room. Elena suspected something was up from the strain in his voice. She plopped down on the couch next to him, setting down her cup of coffee on the table, and looked at him expectantly.

"So… I'm not sure how you'll feel about this, but…"

"Just say it, Damon."

"I bought you a car."

"What?"

"I can't drive you around forever, you know. And I know you have a license. And you need a car to get to work and class."

"It's too much, Damon."

"It's not an expensive car. And it's environment friendly…"

"That's great, but I still can't accept it…"

"Of course you can."

"No. It's like…" tears started to well up and Elena fled up the stairs before the sobbing began.

"Elena!" Damon called out after her.

Elena threw herself on her bed, sobbing into the pillows. Damon tentatively knocked on her door. "Elena? Please talk to me."

Elena felt so embarrassed, breaking down again. She slowly got up and opened the door, letting him in, before she sat back down on the bed, cross-legged and fumbling with one of the pillows. She refused to look at him.

Damon sat down opposite her, taking her hands in his, away from the pillow that was getting all her attention. "Is this really about the car?"

"You shouldn't be buying me things. I owe you so much already," Elena said, her head down.

"That's not it, though, is it? There's something else bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it, Damon."

"I hate seeing you hurt. Even worse if I can do something about it."

"You can't. It's not you, Damon. Well, it is, but…" Elena looked up at him, teary-eyed, "I feel like you're pushing me away, like you want me out of your life."

"No! That's not it at all. I just… I want you to be your own person. We've talked about this."

"So… if I met someone, say at my night class, you would be ok with me dating?"

"It's not my place to tell you who you can and cannot date, even though I think it's too soon for you to jump into anything right now."

"But you wouldn't care?" Elena prodded.

"Elena…"

"Tell me. Would it bother you if I started dating?"

"What do you want me to say?" Damon sighed.

"I… never mind. Forget it, ok? I just had a long day is all. Thank you for the car."

"Elena…"

"Goodnight, Damon."

Resigned, he walked out the door, closing it gently behind him. He couldn't tell her how he felt about her. It was too soon.

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Oops, I made Alaric a lawyer again… Thanks for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: First, I'd just like to say thank you to all you lovely people who take the time to read and comment on my little story. I'm sorry if there are errors in my description of college/night school. I've gone to college and I've also taken a night class on English literature (which is why I chose it for this story), but only here in Sweden, so I'm making stuff up for the purpose of this story. Enjoy!_

* * *

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-8-

* * *

Elena drove her new car to the community college for her first class. Damon had offered to drive her, since it was getting dark (being a night class and all), but Elena wasn't quite ready to let him back into her good graces. Her pride – or whatever this feeling inside her was – had been hurt when he made it clear he didn't picture her in his future. Fine, if he wanted her to be independent, that's exactly how she would act. As if he wasn't there to catch her if she stumbled and fell.

But as Elena stood outside the classroom where her English literature class was going to be held, her courage failed her and she desperately wanted Damon beside her. No, she told herself sternly, I can do this. I don't need someone to hold my hand. Elena took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Oh, great, her anxiety had made her late and everyone else was already seated. All heads turned to look at Elena and she thought she was going to die of embarrassment. But no-one was looking at her with malevolence. Instead, she was confronted by smiling and open faces.

"Don't worry, we haven't started yet," the 30-something professor said, "we're still waiting for another three people to arrive."

"Oh, good," Elena let out a sigh of relief and found a seat next to a young woman sporting a ponytail and a loose-fitted flowery top.

"Hi, I'm Sophie," she said, smiling broadly.

"I'm Elena."

After a few more minutes, the last of the students had arrived and the professor started to go over the syllabus and handing out reading lists.

"Now, I know this is a night class, but you _are_ eligible for college credit and your completion of this course can be used to gain a college degree further down the line, should you wish to. If not, then just have fun with it, ok?"

This really was perfect, Elena thought. No pressure, but she would have the option of actually using this course to get a degree.

When class let out at 9 pm, the young blonde beside her turned to Elena. "So, what made you decide to take this course?"

"Well… I've always wanted to be a writer, and a friend of mine recommended this class. How 'bout you?"

"Oh, I was getting restless just sitting around doing nothing, so my husband suggested I take a night class. I love books, so I thought this might be fun. Nothing too strenuous as far as activities go, and it'll keep me busy until the baby comes – or, well, at least until the third trimester."

That's when Elena noticed the bump. Sophie's loose-fitted top had concealed it while they were seated, but now that she mentioned her condition, Elena could definitely tell the girl was pregnant.

"Congratulations," Elena said warmly and then excused herself, offering Sophie a ride.

"Thanks, that's so sweet of you, but my husband's coming to pick me up."

"Ok. See you on Wednesday, then," Elena said and gave a little wave before heading out.

Elena made it to her car before the tears started to fall. She sat in the driver's seat, trying to compose herself before driving. I'm not gonna fall apart, she told herself. Suck it up, Elena. This is your life now, deal with it. No use crying over spilled milk.

Elena jumped in fright at the tentative knock on her car window, her eyes wide with fear as she turned her head to see who was on the other side of the glass. After the initial shock wore off, she rolled down the window.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the man said, apologetic. "It's Elena, right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, professor. I was just about to leave," Elena said, looking around to find that her car was the only one left in the parking lot and realizing that it might look suspicious, her just sitting there.

"Oh. No, I was just… are you all right?" he said, his brows furrowed.

"I'm fine," Elena said quickly. "Just a little tired. It's been a long day." Not to mention she hadn't been around this many people for weeks.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Elena managed a smile. "Thank you, professor."

"Oh, please… call me Elijah. 'Professor' makes me think of grey-haired men in tweed."

"Ok. Well, good night, then," Elena said and started the car.

* * *

"How was class?" Damon called out when Elena entered the house. From the sound of his voice, Elena deduced he was in the kitchen.

"Good," she said, walking into the kitchen to see him stirring a pot of something delicious, from the smell of it.

"So you liked it, then," Damon said, still with his back turned.

"Uh-huh," Elena replied vaguely. She could feel the tears burning again. He wouldn't even look at her. She had to get out of here before she broke down in tears. She refused to let him see her cry. Not again. Not ever again. She could do this; she could bottle up her feelings. She could turn them off. "You know, I'm really tired, and I have an early day tomorrow, so I'm just gonna go to bed," Elena mumbled, heading out of the kitchen.

"You really should eat something," Damon called after her, "aren't you hungry?"

"It's late, Damon. I had an apple on my way to class," Elena called back, trudging up the stairs.

As soon as she closed the bedroom door behind her, Elena sank to the floor, pulling up her knees to her chest and burying her face in her hands. What was wrong with her? Why was she so oversensitive? So what if she couldn't have children? It's not like that was news to her. And so what if Damon was distancing himself from her? She would have to get a life eventually; he couldn't always be there to hold her hand. He had said early on that he wouldn't coddle her. Why should she be upset about it? She should be grateful he wanted her to be independent.

Elena snapped out of her musings when she heard his voice on the other side of the door. "Open the door, Elena," he said plainly, calmly. He wasn't pleading with her and he wasn't commanding her. He was just… sincere.

"I'm sleeping," she called back, steadying her voice.

"I can hear you crying. Will you please talk to me?"

"No," Elena whimpered.

"Fine. Then I'll just sit out here until you come to your senses and let me in."

Elena could hear him plopping down on the hallway carpet, leaning against her bedroom door. "You'll be there all night," she warned him.

"If that's what it takes," he replied. Elena could practically picture him shrugging.

"Oh, all right," she huffed after minutes of silence and got off the floor, yanking the door open. Having heard her movement, Damon had gotten to his feet just in time. Otherwise he would have fallen backwards into the room.

"What happened?" he said, searching her eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it," Elena mumbled and went over to her dresser, taking out a pair of pajamas – a tank top and boy shorts. She hadn't worn pajamas in the years she were with Stefan – not after he told her not to.

Damon followed her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Elena…"

She angrily shrugged him off. "Don't touch me," she hissed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Just leave me alone, ok? It's not like we're together. It's not like we mean anything to each other."

"You know that's not true," Damon said sadly, "We're friends."

"Oh, right, I forgot. We're friends, but you could care less if I walked out of your life tomorrow, right? That's great, Damon."

"Where is this coming from?" Damon frowned, exasperated. "I never said I wouldn't care."

"No, just that you'd be happy to see me getting along without you."

"It's not… Elena… I care about you. I only want what's best for you. And I believe you need to feel like you're free to make decisions for yourself."

"It's not like I have all the choices in the world, Damon," Elena exclaimed.

"Yes – you do," Damon said encouragingly. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

"Except be a mother," Elena mumbled. Damon was speechless. He didn't know what to say. How to comfort her. "So now you know," Elena said bitterly. "Now please leave, Damon. I have to get up for work in the morning."

Damon reluctantly left the room and Elena slammed the door shut behind him. Exhausted from a long and overwhelming day, Elena fell asleep the second her head hit the pillows.

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Just as a side note, I used the word 'malevolence' in this story because it popped into my head while I was writing. When I was in high school, we had these 'national exams' in Swedish, Math, and English. I missed two items on my English exam – the correct spelling of Peace Corps (I spelled it Peace Core), and the meaning of the word 'malevolence'. I pronounced it like 'male volence' in my head and I had no idea what it could mean. Isn't it funny how it's the things you mess up that you remember?_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: So, another serious chapter, although I tried using Alaric for some comical relief (the word play refers to episode 2x17). I know there's not a lot of action in this story, but the characters just won't work with me. _

* * *

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-9-

* * *

Elena awoke to the smell of coffee. She slowly opened her eyes and spotted the origin of the delicious scent. A cup of steaming hot coffee and a plate of breakfast muffins were sitting on a small table by her bed.

"You should probably drink that before it gets cold," Damon's voice came from the doorway.

"Uh… ok. Thank you," Elena said groggily and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"You're welcome," Damon said and when Elena looked, he was gone.

* * *

Elena didn't see Damon before she drove off to work. She was relieved. She didn't want to talk about last night, about her feelings. She just wanted to forget it. Damon was making it easier on her by backing off. She needed space. Elena wondered whether that was Damon's reason for keeping his distance – to give her space – or if he just didn't want to be around her.

Elena pulled up to the little law office feeling oddly comfortable. As if it wasn't her second day at work. The job was simple enough. Alaric mostly needed help answering the phone, scheduling meetings and typing up letters and other documents. He didn't use a Dictaphone, so Elena didn't have to learn to work that equipment, either. He just scribbled down on a notepad what he wanted her to type – the biggest challenge was reading his chicken scratch. They used a Mac at the office and the Office suite was not that different from her own Home edition on her PC. Alaric didn't have too many clients, so he kept all records in a filing cabinet in the office.

Jenna greeted Elena when she entered. Jenna was technically supposed to be on bed rest, but the bubbly strawberry blond was bored silly sitting at home.

Elena didn't know why she hadn't reacted to Jenna's pregnancy the same way she reacted to Sophie's at night class. Perhaps it was just the fact that after being secluded for more than two weeks she had been confronted with two pregnant women in the span of one day. Emotional overload. Seeing Jenna now, Elena felt nothing but genuine affection towards the woman. It was odd, seeing how they'd only met yesterday, but there was something about her and Alaric – they set the people around them at ease.

"You're up early," Elena smiled.

"I know. Can you believe it – no morning sickness! It's the first day since… uh-oh, hold that thought," Jenna said, hurriedly covering her mouth and rushing to the bathroom.

"She ok?" Alaric came out of his office just as the bathroom door slammed shut, wearing a slightly worried frown on his face.

"I think she hoped she was done with morning sickness," Elena replied.

"Doing a bit of wishful thinking, huh? That's my girl, stubborn to a fault."

"I heard that," Jenna's voice called from the bathroom.

"I stand by every word," Alaric shouted back, relieved that Jenna was acting very much like herself. "So Elena, I was wondering – would you mind picking up some papers for me at the court house? One of the prosecutors just called and he submitted boxes of evidence for me to go through. He's determined to make my life a living hell," Alaric muttered.

"Of course. Do you have the case number?" Elena said, taking a sticky note from her desk.

"11-1864. The prosecutor's name is Klaus von Doppel – pretentious snob," Alaric added under his breath. "Sorry," he said when he noticed Elena's puzzled look, "the guy just gets under my skin."

"Will you be okay here?" Elena gestured towards the bathroom where Jenna was still making hurling sounds.

"Yeah, I got this. You go get those files," Alaric said and went to check on his wife.

* * *

Elena straightened her grey pencil skirt and her dark blue blouse before entering the court house. She looked around the foyer, which has several doors and staircases, until her eyes fell on the reception to her right. She walked up to the window and greeted the clerk with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert. I was sent to pick up some boxes of evidence for Alaric Saltzman? Um… case number 11-1864?"

"I'll have someone bring those out for you. You can have a seat while you wait," she gestured to the benches in the center of the foyer.

"Ok. Thank you," Elena said and sat down, crossing her legs at the ankles. She found a magazine on a side table and decided to browse through it while waiting. The sound of people talking made her look up from the publication. Two men in suits walked in and Elena felt her heart stop. As the younger man's green eyes met hers, she fled.

Elena threw open the door to her car after having fumbled with her keys first, and jumped into the driver's seat. She started hyperventilating. Her breathing wouldn't reach her lungs, it seemed, her heart was beating like a drum and she kept tugging on her shirt, trying to free her throat. Her blouse wasn't buttoned up high, but it felt as if she was wearing a polo neck. She fumbled for her phone. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her like this, but she had no-one else to turn to. She felt as if she would die of suffocation or heart failure any minute now, and he deserved to know.

"Damon…" she got out when he answered.

"Elena? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding alarmed.

"I… can't… breathe," she cried in a panic.

"Elena, listen to me, listen to the sound of my voice. Where are you?"

"Court house… parking lot."

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No. I… can't… breathe."

"Why can't you breathe, Elena?"

"I don't know. I saw him…. I panicked… and now I can't breathe."

"Elena, listen to me, you are having a panic attack. You need to calm down, ok? Listen… you're going to be fine. No-one will hurt you. I need you to take a deep breath for me, ok?" He heard her inhale. "Good. Now I'm going to talk you through this, ok? Imagine a box in front of you. Follow one side of the box with your finger as you inhale, then when you get to the edge, you follow the other side of the box while holding your breath, then you exhale on the third side, and hold your breath again on the fourth. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Now, it's important that you not take too deep breaths. You will get woozy. Hold on to my voice and do as I say, ok? Breathe in – hold on – exhale – hold on." Damon spoke the words slowly, giving her adequate time to get her breathing under control. As he heard her breathing growing calm, he let out a sigh of relief. "Good, Elena. You're doing great. Now just keep doing the same thing until you feel you have everything under control, and stay in the parking lot. I'll be there in a little while."

"No, Damon, you don't have to come," Elena objected.

"I'm already on my way."

* * *

Elena looked up when a blue Camaro pulled into the parking space beside her. She stepped out of her car, as did Damon.

"You didn't have to come," she said, kicking pebbles around on the ground.

"Sure I did," Damon said lightly, lounging against his car. "So… wanna tell me what happened?"

"I saw Stefan," Elena replied, her voice quivering slightly.

"He's here?" Damon stood up straight, his fists clenching at his sides.

"I was getting some boxes for Ric, and he walked through the foyer. I haven't seen him come out – he must still be in there, Damon. I can't go back inside."

"You don't have to," Damon said calmly, looking her straight in the eyes and gently holding her shoulders. "I'll get the boxes."

"I'm so embarrassed," Elena said, looking down at the ground.

"Hey… hey," Damon tilted her chin up, "you have _nothing_ to be embarrassed about, you hear me? If you want, we can go in together – you'd probably need another set of hands to carry those boxes, anyhow."

"But what if he's still there?"

"I won't let him near you," Damon said fiercely.

"But if he sees us together…"

"Don't worry about it. I can handle my brother. Now you decide – do you want to go with me and collect the boxes or do you want to stay in the car? Either way is fine by me."

"I'll go," Elena said, swallowing hard and taking a steadying breath.

"That's my girl," Damon said encouragingly and placed his hand on the small of Elena's back, gently ushering her forward.

No, I'm not, Elena heard in her head. There was a twinge of sadness to that voice, but she ignored it. This was not the time to go into semantics. She knew perfectly well Damon meant nothing by it, it was just an expression.

When they entered the foyer, Elena looked around in apprehension, but the space was empty. She let out a sigh of relief and Damon squeezed her hand lightly before walking up to the reception.

"Hi, I'm Damon," he flashed a brilliant smile at the clerk, who seemed to melt on the spot. "Is there any chance you could speed up those boxes my friend here was waiting for? Just between you and me – Gladys," he leaned in, looking at her nametag, "her boss is a real jerk and he'll have both our jobs unless we get those boxes back to the office asap. I know these things take time, but if anyone can charm the maintenance workers, it's you, Gladys. I mean, look at that face," he winked.

The woman blushed and pressed a button on the intercom. "Bernie!" she barked, "get your ass up here with those Saltzman files!"

"Just as I suspected," Damon winked.

* * *

Bernie and Damon loaded the boxes into Elena's car and she thanked the middle-aged man for his help. He grunted something and moseyed back to the court house.

"Thank you," Elena said to Damon as he closed the car door.

"Do you want me to follow you back to the office?"

"No. I'm fine. I'll see you tonight, ok?"

"Ok," he said and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a brief hug before he pulled back and got into his car.

* * *

"Did you find everything ok?" Ric asked as Elena entered the office.

"More than I was looking for," Elena mumbled. Aloud she said, "Yes. I have more boxes in the car."

"I'll give you a hand," Ric said and went out to the car.

"How's Jenna?" Elena asked when they had carried in the last of the boxes.

"Oh, she's fine. She went out to buy lunch. Chinese, I think."

* * *

_We need to talk_

Elena looked at the text message for the umpteenth time when she crawled into bed. It was a simple statement, yet held so many inflections. Without hearing the words spoken aloud, she didn't know if they were said in anger, frustration, guilt or repentance. On her screen, they were just words. Thus, she put off responding to the message. She had told him not to contact her, and it seemed as though he had respected her wishes – until now. She didn't mention it to Damon. A part of her feared his reaction. What if he went after Stefan? Stefan was wrong. They didn't have anything left to talk about. But then she remembered her own words. _I'm not coming back until you get your life in order._ What if he had turned his life around? He didn't try to follow her when she ran from the court house. What was he doing there in the first place? She had so many questions, but was it worth it contacting him again? Would she forever wonder 'what if' if she didn't? Sighing, Elena put away her phone and picked up her diary instead.

_Dear Diary,_

_I saw Stefan today, and it pushed me right over the edge. All the years of being suffocated by him came rushing back and manifested themselves literally. I didn't even realize I was having a panic attack until Damon told me so. It was the scariest feeling in the world – it wasn't some outside force that was killing me, it was me. Ok, so panic attacks don't actually kill people, but you get my drift. It was as if I could feel Stefan's hands around my throat, choking me. And I needed Damon to help me. Again. I'm so sick of being a burden. Which is why I haven't told him about the text. I don't want him to worry about me. At dinner tonight, Damon suggested I see a therapist. I dismissed it when he brought it up, but I'm starting to think it might not be such a bad idea. I need to talk to someone about my feelings for Damon, someone who can tell me if what I feel is real or if it's just me latching on to the first guy that's been nice to me since I met Stefan. It won't change things between us, of course, because Damon doesn't think of me that way. When we first met, he looked at me like… I don't know. He doesn't look at me like that anymore. I can tell he just thinks of me as broken, fragile, pitiful. That's why he wants me to get strong – so he'll be rid of me._

Elena sighed as her tears fell on the page, blotting the ink. She angrily swiped at her face. No! I won't cry anymore! Elena slipped out of bed and went into her bathroom. Great, no paper. Sighing, she crept out into the hallway and over to the utility closet. She found a roll of paper and closed the door. On her way back to her bedroom she walked right into Damon's hard chest. She staggered back in fright until she realized who it was.

"Sorry," she mumbled and tried to walk past him.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "If you want to talk – I'm here, ok?"

"I don't," Elena mumbled and brushed past him.

Damon sighed as he watched Elena close the door to her bedroom. How could they be so close yet so far apart?

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: I'm sure there are different ways of describing panic attacks and coping techniques, but what I've described in this chapter is how my own panic attacks used to feel and how I was taught to deal with them. _


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: I've made another time-jump here, about a week forward. Elena hasn't heard from Stefan again and she hasn't replied to his text. _

* * *

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-10-

* * *

Elena was excited for night class. They were analyzing poetry tonight, and their assignment had been to read _The Road Not Taken_ by Robert Frost. She had read the poem over and over again. One of the sentences made her reflect on her own life. She wanted to share her thoughts with the class, but it felt too private. She settled for a shallow interpretation.

"You want so much out of life, and there are so many choices. But we never know which is the right one, so we're left feeling confused and thinking 'what if'."

"Thank you, Elena," Elijah said. "You actually raised an interesting point. The popular interpretation is that the poem is a tribute to individualism and non-conformity, that the speaker takes a road few others have taken. But critics have favored the ironic interpretation that the poem is about making personal choices and rationalizing our decisions, whether with pride or regret. According to Frost himself, the poem is intended as a gentle jab at his great friend and fellow poet Edward Thomas, with whom he used to take walks through the forest - Thomas always complained at the end that they should have taken a different path - and seemed amused at the interpretation of the poem as inspirational."

"What of the sigh, then?" Elijah turned to the rest of the class. "_I shall be telling this with a sigh_ – is it a sigh of regret?"

"I believe Frost said the sigh was a joke on those who thought he could ever be sorry for the road he had taken in life," a young male student dressed in a black turtle neck said.

"Well, the irony lies in how the speaker basically says the two roads are so similar, yet claims to be sorry for his choice," Sophie said.

"It's like… why be sorry? When it's done, it's done, you know?" another female student said, popping her gum.

When class let out, Sophie was in a hurry to meet her husband, and the rest of the class also disappeared before Elena had gathered her things. When she was about to leave, Elijah came up to her.

"Thank you for your input tonight, Elena. Have you considered going for your college degree?"

"Um… I don't know yet. It's… I have a lot going on in my life right now."

"Many choices, huh?"

"Something like that."

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on the poem. I feel like you barely skimmed the surface with your answer, and I have a feeling you've thought about this a lot. Am I wrong?"

"No."

"Are you in a hurry to get home?"

Elena thought about it for a minute. The only thing waiting for her at home was Damon, who could care less if she was there or not. "No, not really," she decided on and sat back down.

"So tell me about it," Elijah urged her on.

"Well, I keep reading this same sentence over and over…. "_long I stood and looked down as far as I could_"… It's like… you have all these choices, but you don't know what the outcome will be of those choices. You know what you have, but you don't know what you _could_ have. It's scary, taking chances on unknown roads. It could backfire. You could end up in some dark gorge from which you'll never escape, or you could find happiness. But if you let an opportunity pass because you're afraid, then you might live to regret it. Who's to say which is the right choice?"

"You realize you're using the third person singular for a gender neutral individual a lot, right?"

"Huh?"

"You keep saying 'you', instead of 'I'. You're distancing yourself from your feelings about the poem."

"Oh. I guess… it's too personal."

"Some of the best works of literature come from drawing from personal experience. Some of the most captivating stories are true, or at least based on reality."

"You're probably right. But I'm not ready to put my life on display."

"That's fair."

* * *

Elena said goodbye to Elijah and got in her car. She took out her phone and looked at the text from Stefan again. She owed it to herself to figure out her feelings about Stefan once and for all. Maybe then she'd be able to move on.

_Ok. _Elena texted Stefan. Seconds later, she got a reply.

_Where do you want to meet?_

Elena took a deep breath. _Coffee shop on Elm Street, two blocks from the court house. Noon tomorrow._

* * *

"I'm scared."

"What's wrong?" Damon said as he watched Elena swirling a glass of wine. She never drank. She didn't like the reminder.

"I'm afraid I'll make the wrong choice again. I'm afraid I'll get lost again. I would never have left Stefan if it weren't for you. Who's gonna save me from myself if I go down that same road again?"

"I'll always be there for you, Elena," Damon said carefully.

"You can't be. You have your own life. I've burdened you long enough. I should leave."

"Elena, no!" Damon sat down beside her and took her hands in his, setting her wine glass aside. "I don't want you to leave."

"You deserve more than this. So do I," Elena said sadly.

"Where's this coming from?"

"From me. I've been thinking about this for some time now… I can't stay here forever. I'm tired of being weak."

"Have I made you feel like you are?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. I just… I depend on you for so much. It's not fair to you."

"What are you talking about? I love… having you here," Damon quickly covered. He couldn't tell her how he felt. He wouldn't do that to her. The state she was in now, her emotions were all over the place. He didn't want to take advantage of her. But she had to know he genuinely cared about her.

Elena slipped her hands out of Damon's grasp and looked away from his sincere and soulful eyes. "I'm gonna go to bed. Good night Damon," she mumbled and headed up the stairs.

Damon was incredibly frustrated. Both with Elena and with himself. The rational part of him told him that Elena was out of balance and that she couldn't see what she meant to him, but his heart was screaming at him to do something. He quickly changed into a pair of sweats and went for a run. Perhaps, if he ran fast enough, he could escape these feelings that were suffocating him.

* * *

Elena had a knot in her stomach all morning and she couldn't concentrate. She kept dropping things and making stupid mistakes. When the clock approached noon, she felt as if she was in some old Western, where the gunmen were waiting for the clock to strike twelve. She was meeting her destiny at high noon. She felt waves of panic rushing over her but kept them at bay with Damon's breathing techniques.

When Elena approached the coffee shop, the knots in her stomach had turned to boulders, and the boulders had turned into solid rock walls, protecting her heart. She shut down. It was a strange and oddly comforting feeling. She suddenly felt as if no-one could touch her. She felt strong.

"Thank you for meeting me," Stefan said calmly as he rose from his seat.

"You said we needed to talk," Elena said coldly, sitting down opposite him. "I'm prepared to listen, if that means I never have to hear from you again."

"You look different," Stefan said.

"Oh, you mean no bruises? Yeah, it's new."

"And a new attitude… am I to thank my brother for this?" he said, his jaw clenched.

"What is it you want, Stefan?" Elena said as the waitress set down a plate of burger and fries in front of her. "Thank you," she smiled at the woman.

"I wanted to see you. It's been awhile…"

"Yes. It has. Time has practically flown by."

"Not for me."

"Oh?"

"Every minute without you has been pure torture."

"Huh… much like every minute I spent with _you_ was…"

"Don't be like that, Elena."

"Like what? I'm not allowed to be angry, Stefan? Because I didn't beg you to stop hurting me all the years we were together?"

"I was wrong. I'm sorry, Elena. When you left… I left some terrible messages on your voicemail. I lost control. I got into a fight with my boss and he pressed charges. When you saw me at the court house… I was there for my hearing. I got off easy, the judge sent me to anger management classes and I have to do 100 hours community service. I started going to AA-meetings as well. I'm one week sober."

"Well… that's… great, Stefan. I'm glad you've turned your life around. I'm just sorry it had to come to this."

"Do you think… would you give me another chance?" Stefan sounded almost pleading.

"Stefan… I can't."

"Is this about Damon? Are you sleeping with him?" his voice turned cold.

"No! Is that what you think of me? That I left you for your brother? I left because of _you_. Because of what you've become. You took something from me, Stefan. Something that Damon's trying to give back."

"What?"

"My life."

"He'll never love you like I do," Stefan said coldly.

"I should hope not," Elena replied with equal coldness. She rose from the table, leaving her plate of food untouched. "Goodbye, Stefan. I hope you have a good life. I just know… I don't want to be a part of it." With that, Elena left a stunned Stefan behind, and as the door to the coffee shop closed behind her, she let out a sigh of relief. This chapter of her life was finally over.

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: The poem analysis is from Wikipedia, and from my own notes for my English literature class. Elena's thoughts on the poem are all mine : ) _

_About Elena's reaction to seeing Stefan (shutting down)… I do that a lot. Things happen in life, as we all know, and we deal with them in different ways. I've shut down on several occasions where the hurt was too much, and it has kicked me into new bouts of depression every time. So that's where my interpretation of Elena's feelings is coming from… but don't worry, I won't let her get too depressed. I really need to start writing more positive chapters soon… __Thank you all for sticking with this story : )_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer**__: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Finally, a little Delena! You guys have been really patient with me, thank you so much for all your kind reviews!_

* * *

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-11-

* * *

Elena returned to the office numb from her encounter with Stefan. It was really over between them now. No going back. The realization both pleased and terrified her. Where did she go from here? She couldn't go back. She could only go forward. But in what direction? And where did she stand with Damon? Elena dreaded going home – well, to his place – but she knew they had to talk about things.

Alaric didn't say anything, but he noticed something was going on with Elena. In the morning, she had seemed stressed and on edge, and when she came back from her lunch break, she seemed vacant. He had come to consider Elena as family, he and Jenna both thought of her like – well, not exactly a daughter, but maybe a niece… or sister-in-law. After all, Damon was like a brother to Alaric, so… He didn't want to be a snitch, but Damon should know what was going on with Elena, so when Elena left for the day, Alaric called Damon.

* * *

"You hungry?" Damon asked as soon as he heard the door close.

"Starving," Elena replied emphatically. After all, she hadn't eaten a thing at lunch.

"Good. Dinner's almost ready," Damon smiled at Elena as she entered the kitchen.

"Smells delicious," Elena commented. "Do I have time to take a shower? I feel all grimy."

"Take all the time you need."

"Thanks," Elena said and headed up the stairs.

True, she felt dirty and sweaty from a long day at the office, but what she really needed was to wash Stefan off of her. He hadn't touched her, but she still felt tainted by him - and the fact that she had kept the meeting from Damon. He would have stopped her, she was sure of it. Well, things were going to change tonight. No more secrets.

Elena came back downstairs wearing a pair of sweatpants, a tank top and a zip-up hoodie. The conversation would be awkward enough without wearing uncomfortable clothes. Besides, it wasn't like he expected her to dress up for dinner.

Damon smiled when she entered and plated the food.

"Mm, chicken parmesan – my favorite," Elena practically purred as Damon set down the plate in front of her.

"I know."

"Any particular reason why you've made my favorite food tonight?"

"I talked to Ric."

"Oh." Elena pursed her lips.

"He was concerned."

"And he didn't trust me enough to tell you about it if something was wrong."

"Would you?"

"I was going to. Tonight, actually."

Damon said nothing, just waited patiently for Elena to continue.

"I saw Stefan today," she said matter-of-factly, taking a bite of her dinner.

"Has he been following you around? Is that why you've been so distant with me this past week?"

"He sent me a text last week, saying we needed to talk. I didn't tell you because I was afraid of how you'd react… and I didn't know what to do about it."

"You can talk to me about anything. You know that."

"No, I can't!" Elena exclaimed, frustrated. "You want me to be strong and independent? The truth is that I'm not. I'm scared all the time, Damon. I'm scared of being alone, I'm scared of being with someone, I'm scared I'll never be _me_ again. I appreciate all you've done for me, and I feel like I'm a disappointment to you."

"Elena, you're _not_…" Damon objected, but Elena cut him off before he could finish his sentence, putting a hand up.

"Please let me finish… I felt all these things this past week, and I knew I had to face the truth somehow. So I agreed to meet him. I was terrified of what might happen. That I would let him sweet-talk me into giving him a second chance. But I didn't. As soon as I walked into that coffee shop, this odd sense of… serenity… came over me. I didn't feel a thing. If anything, I felt strong. I told him I would never come back to him. And I promised myself I would face all my fears. Talking to you was one of them."

"Why would you be afraid to talk to me?"

"Because it's scary to pour your heart out to someone who's in a position to break it."

"Why do you think I would break your heart?"

"Because… I think I'm in love with you…" Elena said softly, afraid to look him in the eyes. Instead, she busied herself with moving the food around on her plate. There. She finally said it. It was all up to him now.

"Elena…" Damon said softly, a hint of worry in his voice.

The tone of his voice was too much for Elena, and she fled.

Damon cleared the table, giving her some time before going after her. When he opened her bedroom door, though, he realized he had given her _too_ much time. She was zipping up her suitcase, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't stay here anymore. Not when… I just can't."

"Elena… stop… stop," Damon walked up to her, wrapping her arms around her.

She sobbed against his chest for awhile before pushing him away. "Don't! Don't pretend to care!"

"I care, Elena. I… I feel the same way."

Elena looked up at him in astonishment. Did he just say what she thought he said?

"I would give anything to be with you, but I can't help thinking you need time for yourself before jumping into something. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"I know what I want, Damon. If you walk away – it's for you."

"Listen… I need to leave town for a couple of months. You can stay here and keep doing what you've been doing, and when I get back… if you still feel the same way about me… we'll give _us_ a try. Are you ok with that?"

"I'm not gonna sit around and wait for you. I've put my life on hold for far too long. I won't do it again. Not even for you."

"Good."

"Good?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Damon smiled and cupped her face with his hands.

Elena looked at him, puzzled as to what he was talking about. But his intentions became perfectly clear when his lips crashed down on hers.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a year since I first met Damon. A year since my life changed – since I got my life back. Damon and Stefan aren't really talking, but Stefan's been doing a lot better. He's sober and he's got a new job. I'm working part-time at Ric's law firm now and I'm going for a college degree in literature. Damon bought a restaurant and it's doing really well. He still cooks for me every night, and I load the dishwasher._

_After that first kiss, the night after I confronted Stefan, we took things slow. I did want to be with Damon, but being intimate with someone again… it took time. Damon was very understanding and I love him for it. What we have is real. I can't see myself with anyone else. I'm finally me again and I'm not scared anymore. I feel like I can do anything. Damon tells me so every day. _

_I'm not going to pretend it's been smooth sailing for us. I've had a lot of issues to work through, but Damon's been so supportive. My biggest concern was the fact that I will never be able to have a baby. But Damon says we'll adopt if I decide I want to be a mother. Every time I feel like I'm less of a woman because of it, Damon assures me I'm the only woman for him, and he proves it to me every day… or, well, night. _

_I don't know why I felt like summarizing the past year today. I guess I'm just thinking about it because Damon told me he's planning on a surprise for our one year anniversary of moving into this house – tomorrow. I can't believe my whole life got turned around in the span of 24 hours. _

"Elena! Are you ready to go?" Damon's voice called out from downstairs.

Elena put down her diary and made her way downstairs.

"Did you get caught up in your writing again?" he smiled, holding out her coat.

"Yes," Elena smiled back and let him help her with the jacket, leaning into him.

Damon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "So, are you ok with going over to Ric and Jenna's tonight? I mean, with the baby and everything."

"I'm fine, Damon. I'm so happy for them." Elena turned around and intertwined their fingers. He raised their hands to his lips and kissed her hand.

* * *

"Elena!" Jenna exclaimed as she flung open the door and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Hi, Jenna," Elena chuckled and returned the hug.

"What? I don't get a hug?" Damon joked.

"Sure you do, buddy," Alaric came up to the door and greeted Damon.

"Good to see you, Ric," Damon said and gave his friend a hug.

"Come on in, you guys," Alaric said and gave Elena a kiss on the cheek.

Damon kissed Jenna on the cheek, "The food smells delicious. I take it Ric cooked?"

Jenna punched his arm. "Be nice," Jenna scolded him and pulled Elena with her upstairs. "You have to see Ella's room! It's finally finished!"

Elena stepped into the room and drew a breath. "It's beautiful, Jenna," she said softly, taking in the soft pinks, soft lighting and the crib.

"She's sleeping," Jenna whispered, sneaking up to the crib.

"She's so beautiful, Jenna," Elena said warmly, gazing down at the little girl.

"I wanted to ask you something," Jenna said, looking slightly apprehensive.

"Anything, Jenna."

"Ric and I were wondering… would you like to be Ella's godmother? Ric's asking Damon to be her godfather. I know this might be difficult for you, so we won't push… but we'd be super-excited if you accepted."

"It's… wow… thank you, Jenna. That's so sweet of you. I'd love to."

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Jenna said and wrapped her arms around Elena again.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Damon said as they got in the car after a nice dinner with Ric and Jenna.

"I'm fine. I'm so happy they want us to be Ella's godparents."

"Me too. You'll be great at it. Me – not so much."

"You should give yourself more credit," Elena smiled.

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me what you have planned for today?" Elena said, stroking Damon's arm that was securely wrapped around her.

"If I did, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Damon smirked against her hair. Elena turned around to face him, hoping her pout and doe eyes would have some effect on him. He kissed her pouty lips and shook his head. "Not gonna work."

Elena sighed and slipped out of his embrace.

"Uh-uh," Damon said, pulling her back into bed, "where do you think you're going?"

"You may not tell me where we're going, but I need to shower."

"We have all day to shower," Damon said.

"_We_ aren't taking a shower. I am. Unless you tell me where we're going, of course…" Elena winked.

"Oh, you're such a little vixen," Damon smiled.

"You love it," Elena shot back.

"Yes… I do."

* * *

"You ready?" Damon said, walking into the bathroom where Elena was putting on her mascara.

"Since you won't tell me where we're going, I don't know if I'm dressed properly."

"You look great," Damon's eyes scanned her strapless knee-length royal blue dress. "But I would throw on a shawl if I were you, I wouldn't want you to get cold."

"We're going outside?"

"Come on," Damon smiled and took her hand, pulling her with him out onto the patio. There he had set up a table with candles, roses and a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket.

"When did you do all this?" Elena exclaimed in wonder.

"While you were busy deciding what to wear," he smirked.

"And you cooked?"

"Actually, I got the chef at our restaurant to prepare everything."

"_Our_ restaurant?"

"Well… what's mine is yours, you know." Damon said and pulled out a chair for her.

"Thank you," Elena said, sitting down.

Damon poured her a glass of champagne before taking his seat opposite her. "To us," he said, raising his glass.

"To us," Elena agreed.

After a delicious meal, Damon brought out dessert. "Tiramisu", he announced, setting a plate down in front of her.

"Thank you, Damon. This has been great."

"Well, the night's not over yet. I still have something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"Well… I was wondering if you would consider having dinner with me again tomorrow."

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"How about a week from now?"

"Sure."

"A year?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm asking you, Elena Gilbert, if you would consider having dinner with me every night for the rest of our lives."

Elena was speechless. She blinked and Damon was beside her, kneeling and holding out the most beautiful ring, white gold with a lapis stone setting.

"Will you marry me, Elena?"

"Yes… yes!" Elena said, overwhelmed as he slid the ring on her finger and kissed her hand.

"Come on," Damon said, pulling her to her feet.

"Where are we going?"

"Upstairs."

"But what about dessert?" Elena said, looking at the untouched cake in front of her.

"What about it?" Damon winked.

"Good point," Elena smiled and giggled as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside.

THE END

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_**Author's Note:**__ Wow… I didn't know this was going to be the final chapter when I started writing it… I had a whole other story arc planned, but these characters took on a life of their own… I hope I didn't disappoint._

_Just as a side note, I just signed up to be a beta reader. I'm probably getting in way over my head… but I thought I'd give it a go. _


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